Auditions and callbacks were underway last week for “Legally Blonde,” Occidental’s largest spring production. Isabel Friedl (junior), who auditioned for the musical, said that there were three days of auditions and callbacks, with the first day being devoted to acting auditions, the second to singing auditions and the final day to callbacks.
Occidental Theater professor Jamie Angell said that “Legally Blonde,” a musical, is one of two productions at Occidental being developed this semester. “The Receptionist,” which Angell said he is producing and directing, is the second.
“Most of the resources of the [theater] department are kind of focused on [‘Legally Blonde’],” said Angell.
According to Sarah Sturdevant (senior), who auditioned for the show, around 70 people tried out for “Legally Blonde,” which she said is a record-breaking number for an Occidental performance. Sturdevant and Friedl said the feminist material and the predominantly female cast were reasons they were excited to try out for the show.
“It’s a very fun, energetic show, and it’s a big cast, full of mostly women, which is really exciting,” Sturdevant said.
Ella Gibbs (junior) auditioned for the lead role of Elle Woods and made it to the final night of callbacks.
“It’s definitely a hectic process, and the last couple nights were a lot,” Gibbs said.
Ellie Taylor (senior) also auditioned for the role of Elle Woods. Taylor said that the story is about Elle discovering a passion for academics at the prestigious Harvard Law School.
“She wants to go to Harvard to get her boyfriend back, then discovers she likes more about law school than just that,” Taylor said.
Friedl said that the feminist story in “Legally Blonde” is relevant to today’s audiences.
“I think a story of de-objectifying yourself is something that we need to show in a day and age where so many women are still convinced… that their worth is their sexual and aesthetic appearance,” Friedl said.
Hayden Jennings (junior) auditioned for the role of Emmett, a fellow student who befriends Elle while she’s at Harvard. According to Jennings, the male characters in “Legally Blonde” are supportive of the women in the show.
“Emmett is an example of how masculinity can be soft but smart, encouraging and not overbearing,” Jennings said. “Men can support women, especially in academia, while still letting them shine.”
Friedl said that “Legally Blonde” could be a starting point for improving the experiences of female performers at Occidental.
“This is an opportunity for us to start creating a much safer atmosphere for women in the theater and music departments,” Friedl said. “These are departments that often prop up men because they’re so rare. We can have the conversation about that during this musical because it’s a feminist piece.”
Sturdevant said that the people auditioning came from diverse backgrounds, with varying levels of prior experience with theater.
“You have a lot of people auditioning who aren’t theater majors, who aren’t even taking a single theater class, who just want to be involved in a production,” Sturdevant said.
Angell said that casting a production is often not about finding the actor that is the most technically skilled, but instead about finding the actor who is the best fit for each role.
“People bring different qualities into the room just by being who they are,” Angell said.
According to Angell, not getting a role is a common experience for theater performers. Angell said that whether or not an actor gets a part is often outside their control, and rejection isn’t always about how technically skilled they are at acting.
“As an actor, you kind of have to be a friend to rejection, because that happens more often than not in the real world,” Angell said.
Friedl said that, despite the competition, she was trying to stay confident and excited to get the chance to act alongside her friends.
“It’s definitely competition,” Friedl said. “But it’s all love.”
Jennings said that he was looking forward to seeing his hometown of Boston represented on the stage, as well as being excited for his women and female-presenting friends who auditioned.
“I’m excited for a bunch of my friends, who haven’t always gotten these chances,” Jennings said. “This is a huge show for them.”
Angell said that he wanted everyone auditioning for an Occidental production to believe in themselves and keep working at their craft.
“There’s no one defining moment in an actor’s life,” Angell said. “No one ever stops learning, no matter how successful they are.”
Taylor said that she was excited for the show, no matter what role she might get.
“I think we’re all very excited to see what happens,” Taylor said.
“Legally Blonde” runs April 19-21, April 26-28 and May 18 in Keck Theatre.
Contact Ruby Gower at gower@oxy.edu and Will White at wwhite@oxy.edu
